Too cold to have a wet drysuit and too cheap to pay someone else to do my gaskets. Any suggestions on methods (is one of those kits worth it)? And has anybody noticed a quality difference between OEM Kokatat gaskets and generic/NRS gaskets?

I have a kit and do it myself. It's really easy once you learn how. Let me know if you want more info and you could make your own kit from mine....

I've replaced neck gaskets by stretching the old neck over a ceramic salad bowl (inside the drytop), cutting it off (leaving a 1-2" margin) and gluing the new on on top of that, with the bowl still inside. It works fine; I don't think the kit would be worth it unless you're doing a lot of them. You might have to try several different bowls or other round objects before finding the right fit.

I think the NRS replacement gaskets are thinner. Might be worth the extra $10 or whatever for the Kokotat ones.

Here's another vote for Kayak Academy. Great service, and they include very detailed instructions for how to replace gaskets, if you've never done it before.

Kayak Academy stocks two different brands of latex gaskets: Kokatat and Universal. I have been using the cheaper Universals (both wrist and neck) for the past 3 or 4 years and have been very happy with them. I find that they last as long or longer than Kokatat gaskets.

However, the HUGE advantage of Universal brand gaskets is that they offer five different neck sizes, while Kokatat only offers two. Sure, you can trim a gasket that's too small, but it's far better to buy a gasket that fits your neck without being trimmed. More contact area with your neck makes a gasket more comfortable, if not more watertight.